2023 Château du Domaine de l'Eglise, Pomerol, Bordeaux
Critics reviews
The 2022 Domaine de l'Eglise has a simple bouquet with earthy black fruit, like the La Croix de Casse, just missing some fruit concentration and complexity. The palate is soft on the entry. It’s an easy-drinking Pomerol, but there is more weight on the mid-palate and a spicy finish. I would like a bit more grip and backbone, but it should drink well for the next decade.
Drink 2027 - 2037
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (April 2024)
Blend: 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
Impressive freshness and succulence to the fruit flavors. Chocolatey character is backed by smooth, well-integrated tannins. Medium to full body. Plenty of dark and blue fruit on the mid-palate, leading to a firm finish. Old vines worked well here. Very structured with solid tannins.
Better than 2022
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (April 2024)
About this WINE
Château du Domaine de L'Église
Domaine de L'Eglise is reputedly the oldest château and vineyard in Pomerol, this 6 hectare domaine was purchased by Emile Castéja, who owns Château Batailley and Château Trotte Vieille, in 1972. Much replanting took place and the wine, which is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, is now one of Pomerol`s smartest buys.
Previously the wine was elegant but light - nowadays the wine has more body and concentration, as a consequence of a longer maceration period as well as spending 18 months in oak barriques (65% new).
Pomerol
Pomerol is the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations, with about 150 producers and approximately 740 hectares of vineyards. It is home to many bijou domaines, many of which produce little more than 1,000 cases per annum.
Both the topography and architecture of the region is unremarkable, but the style of the wines is most individual. The finest vineyards are planted on a seam of rich clay which extends across the gently-elevated plateau of Pomerol, which runs from the north-eastern boundary of St Emilion. On the sides of the plateau, the soil becomes sandier and the wines lighter.
There is one satellite region to the immediate north, Lalande-de-Pomerol whose wines are stylistically very similar, if sometimes lacking the finesse of its neighbour. There has never been a classification of Pomerol wines.
Recommended Châteaux : Ch. Pétrus, Vieux Ch. Certan, Le Pin, Ch. L’Eglise-Clinet, Ch. La Conseillante, Ch. L’Evangile, Ch. Lafleur, Trotanoy, Ch. Nenin, Ch. Beauregard, Ch. Feytit-Clinet, Le Gay.
Merlot
The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Blend: 98% Merlot; 2% Cabernet Franc.
This is the oldest property in Pomerol, with records back to 1589. The vineyards are mostly on the central plateau near Clinet and L’Eglise-Clinet. This is a weighty wine, deeply coloured and with brooding fruit. It has more bite than the 2023. Its solidity belies a wine that often gives plenty of pleasure with a little age, albeit without being especially complex. The property is owned by the Castéja family of Ch. Batailley, but the wine is less well known and can offer good value.
Drink 2028 - 2042
Our score: 16/20
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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